Dynasty Warriors 5

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Is it getting old?

By Ed Lewis

The release of Dynasty Warriors 5 for the Xbox shows little has changed in KOEI's long running series. In fact, this is the 10th Warriors game on consoles if you include the Samurai Warriors titles. You'll find while some new features and alternations have been implemented, the game's core remains largely the same. You'll still spend most of your time mashing the combo button non-stop during the lengthy battle sequences, so if you've played any of the games in the series this will definitely feel familiar.

The Xbox version is almost identical to the PS2's with a few notable exceptions that will likely please the more hardcore fans. First and foremost is the inclusion of the original Japanese voices. These can be enabled through the main options menu, and thankfully the English subtitles can be left on so you can actually understand what they're saying. Turning this on is definitely an improvement from the massively over-cheesed English voices. The Xbox version also supports Dolby 5.1 sound, which is great for those intent on hearing exactly where the hundreds of soldiers they're knocking around are landing.

With an over-the-top reimagining of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era in China, developer Omega Force has become quite adept at cranking out the titles where one fighter can make a tremendous difference. There are 48 characters to choose from this time, six of which are new to the series, and each one has a specific storyline in the Dynasty Warriors universe. Each story has a set of missions where the time between beginning and completing the requirements involves taking out several hundred soldiers, captains, and officers along the way.

While there are some new changes that add variety to the formula, DW5 can't help but feel like over-familiar territory. After fighting through countless hordes in previous titles, doing so again with some small differences is an experience of diminishing returns. With action that is all too similar to what's been so heavily trodden before with dozens, if not hundreds, of hours of gameplay, DW5 is a title that's not quite enough for those who enjoyed one or two earlier titles and wanted more. Instead this is best recommended for those who absolutely love it, almost pathologically (like Steven Ng) or those who are completely new to the experience.

Having said all that, the new additions here help to make this the most refined game in the series. Omega Force has had a lot of practice in making Dynasty Warriors games and this is their latest fullest incarnation of it. The most striking difference is that the game has been optimized even further to make the graphics more satisfying. The fog of war has been pushed back much, much further. The effect of enemy soldiers magically appearing has been drastically reduced and is now exclusive to the two-player experience.

More than just being able to see more of the people in the nearby area, players can now see more of the game as a whole. The framerate holds up at a consistent rate for the large majority of the game. Slowdown that has brought previous titles to a crawl has not appeared here. The visuals have become smoother all around and makes you wish that this had been how it was done all along. The Xbox version looks very, very simliar to the PS2, though the framerate is a little more consistent and the load times are reduced.

On the gameplay side there have been a couple of other large changes. The bodyguard units from the previous games have been changed to singular bodyguards. This helps keep the framerate moving along nicely and makes the game easier to understand in the middle of a large fight. It makes the game even better that the bodyguards are smarter and more effective in the fights.

While in battle, it often happened that I would be fighting with an officer and then my bodyguard would rush in from the side when my combo was finishing up. At other times my bodyguard would be doing his own combo on an officer and then I could run up and start doing an attack of my own. Rather than having a swarm of bodyguards do some light attacks, the single person guard has been much more useful and fun to fight with.

Later on in the game it's possible to get a non-human guard as well. It's possible to get a tiger to fight by one's side. Of course, that means that the enemy can have tigers with them as well. Since fighting animals is a no-no, the tigers can't be attacked directly. Only by defeating their master will they be taken out of the game itself.

With just one guard the ability to do a double Musou attack is now here in the single-player game. Where this was previously an exclusively two-player option for when both players have filled their Musou gauge and tapped the circle button at the same time it's now available in NPC form. When both player and bodyguard are amped up and close enough lightning will appear between the characters. Activating the Musou, a special attack, at this time makes both characters deliver vengeance on any and all enemies within range. It's a cool effect and one that makes you want to stick tight to your guard.